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Carlini’s stylish masterpieces…

My amazing friend, talented Chicago-based artist and rising senior at DePaul University, Eva Carlini can do so much more than paint breathtaking pictures. On top of coveting Carlini’s drawings, I’m particularly enamored by her imaginative approach to crafting exquisitely curated apparel! Carlini’s carefree, non-conforming attitude and avant-garde style bring out the original flair in her artwork. She says, her work is inspired by a wide array of elements including the “…ocean, nature, music, Vogue and [her] mom.” As a lifelong painter and sketch artist, Carlini doesn’t sew and recently ventured into creating garments. Unlike any fashion designer and most artists, her unconventional approach to structuring apparel with wires, mesh and staples render her a pioneer of crafting one-of-a-kind sartorial statements. I’m extremely infatuated with the dark, morbid, and somewhat erotic edge of her latest creations. Although Carlini’s gown is reminiscent of clothing inspired by the goth subculture, its flowing floor length ribbons resemble octopus tentacles and uniquely cut silhouette make this piece elegant for walking the red carpet. While her headdress crafted with wires, mesh and various types of paper preserve a similar motif, it shines in a whole different light with several streaks of contrasting shades and select cuts of paper stapled together that look like hoards of dangling human spines, in all the right ways!

P.S. I wish I could actually wear this dress!

Gown by Eva Carlini. Crafted with mesh, wires, staples and ribbons.

Gown by Eva Carlini. Crafted with mesh, wires, staples and ribbons.

Headdress by Eva Carlini. Created with assorted kinds of paper, mesh, staples and wire.

Headdress by Eva Carlini. Created with assorted kinds of paper, mesh, staples and wire.

Self-portrait on scratchboard by Eva Carlini. Just like the garments, I love how this piece thematically preserves the dark, morbid motif too!